The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Acid test Down Under

Sania Mirza shot into the limelight with her superb performance at the Australian Open last year. Can she do it again, asks M.S. Unnikrishnan

Both Leander Paes (top) and Sania (bottom) need to get their act together for the Melbourne tournament. — Photos by AFP, UNI

Sania Mirza’s dream run began with her third-round face-off with eventual champion Serena Williams in the Australian Open early last year. Thus started a glorious season for the Indian girl, which saw her enter the fourth round in the US Open and jump 172 places to reach the 34th spot in world ranking.

It was an incredible journey of fame and fortune—and controversy too—as she stood up to the big girls of tennis to carve out a niche for herself. Though a back strain troubled her in the past few weeks of 2005, she is back on her feat and is keen to give her best shot. Even the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) had noted that Sania was the most captivating debutante of the year.

But will she be able to match the high standard she set for herself last year? The new year has not begun well for the poster girl as she suffered defeats in the Medibank International Open in Sydney, the first WTA Tour event of the season, after having had mixed fortunes in the Hong Kong Challenge tournament. She paired with Kim Clijsters to stun the Williams sisters — Serena and Venus — but her performance in singles left much to be desired.

Her powerful forehand is in place, and the serve, too, has improved after a three-week training stint in Sydney with former Australian great Tony Roche. But she needs to display sustained aggression. It will take some time for Roche’s tips, who also advises men’s top gun Roger Federer, to be useful. But Sania’s legion of fans hope that she would come good in the Australian Open, in a much more forceful manner than last year, as she plays the kind of tennis no other Indian girl had ever played.

Sania shoulders the Indian hopes in singles, as Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi would be concentrating on their doubles and mixed doubles. Leander has indicated that his aim would be the Doha Asian Games this year, and the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He would be targeting the doubles title, pairing with Martin Damm, and the mixed doubles with Martina Navratilova at the Australian Open.

Paes had partnered Nenad Zimonjic and lost in the second round of the doubles in the Australian Open last year. But the pair were ranked sixth in doubles and entered three finals of their last five events of the year, including the Masters’ Cup in Shanghai. However, Paes has now opted to stick with Damm despite making a second-round exit from the Chennai Open doubles early this month.

The Uberoi sisters—Shikha and Neha—are capable of springing a surprise or two in women’s doubles, provided they get to play in the main draw. After reaching two successive finals of the WTA doubles at Kolkata and Guangzhou in China, they have proven their worth as a quality doubles duo.

Mahesh Bhupathi, the winner of nine Grand Slam titles, is still on a high after capturing two mixed doubles titles last year. He will also be giving a shot at the doubles, and overall, the Indians’ presence would be noteworthy in the opening Grand Slam event of 2006.

The Australian Open this year will be short of some big guns, as injuries have taken a heavy toll on the men’s field. The casualties include defending champion Marat Safin of Russia, old warhorse Andre Agassi of the USA and French Open champion Rafael Nadal.

This leaves the field open for Swiss superstar Roger Federer, who won the Wimbledon and the US Open, after numbing losses in the Australian Open and the French Open, last year.

Federer suffered four losses in 2005, but he is on a roll, and on his own admission, feels that he can’t get any better. He’s so high above the rest that others have to raise their level of play by a few notches to catch up with the 23-year-old World No. 1. However, he, too, cannot afford to be complacent, going by his loss to Tommy Haas in Melbourne earlier this week.

Federer won two Grand Slam titles, 11 ATP titles last year, and remained unbeaten in 29 finals from Vienna in October, 2003, to Bangkok in September, 2005. He has a 35-match winning streak, losing only to Marat Safin, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet and David Nalbandian.

Nalbandian beat Federer in the season-ending Tennis Masters at Shanghai in November, after losing to the Swiss in the first round, to make him a player to be watched. World No. 3 Andy Roddick, Guillermo Coria of Argentina and Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia also nursing ambitions of making it big.

But Federer remains the best bet, and the rest have to produce superlative form to upstage him. The Swede had successfully defended the Qatar Open title to keep his world No. 1 position intact for the third consecutive year, and in the bargain successfully tested his injured knee. The injury had marred the last few weeks of an otherwise successful 2005 for him.

The women’s field is throbbing with hopefuls, as defending champion Serena Williams is determined to do an encore with sister Venus also eyeing the crown. US Open champion Kim Clijsters began the season on a promising and confident note, winning the Champions Challenge title in Hong Kong.

The 22-year-old Belgian, world No. 2, downed world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport of the USA in the final of the Challenge event, which had the top 10 women competing. Clijsters had made a remarkable comeback last year, after nursing a wrist injury in 2004, as she climbed 132 places to be ranked No. 2 at the end of 2005, after her title win in the US Open.

Mary Pierce of France, who lost the French Open and US Open final to Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters, respectively, and lost in the quarterfinal of the Wimbledon to eventual champion Venus Williams, too is raring to go, trying to make light of her 30 years. A victory in the Kremlin Cup at the fag-end of 2005 has boosted her morale to go for the big titles, despite her advancing age.

But there are others who want a piece of the pie too, including World No. 2 Amelie Mauresmo of France, without a Grand Slam title, World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova (if she is fit), and of course the Williams sisters.

And last but not least, three-time champion Martina HIngis, who will return to the grand stage after a three-year forced hiatus due to injuries. The 25-year-old, who has won five Grand Slam titles, will once again try her hands at the opening Grand Slam, though she would have to contend with other talented players like Anastasia Myskina and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Rule call
Ivninderpal Singh

Clive Lloyd (left) is a supporter of the super-sub rule, while Inzamam-ul-Haq wants it to be amended or scrapped

THE rule changes in one-dayers introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in July last year on a trial basis are set for review in February. The ICC would have to amend or scrap the super-sub and powerplay rules.

The new rules were first experimented with during the NatWest Challenge match between England and Australia on July 7 last year at Headingley. During that time England skipper Michael Vaughan and head coach Duncan Fletcher welcomed the changes.

But after six months of trial, most of the captains and coaches want that either the rules should be amended, especially the super-sub rule, or altogether scrapped. The super-sub rule has come in for sharp criticism as a substitute has to be named before the toss, making it more favourable for the team winning the toss.

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and Australia captain Ricky Ponting want that a team should be allowed to name the super sub after the toss.

Woolmer opines that naming a super sub after the toss would be fairer, while Inzamam wants the rule to be scrapped if it cannot be amended suitably.

Apart from modifications in the super-sub rule, voices have been raised to further experiment with the powerplay. New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori says that the powerplays can be spiced up if the batting team is also given the chance to decide when to implement them instead of just the bowling side. "It will be interesting. The 40th to 50th overs could be a bit of fun if the opposing captain had a say in those," says Vettori.

"I think captains are just trying to get through them as quickly as possible rather than using them in any advantageous way," Vettori adds.

Apart from already introduced changes, Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar wants that cricket lawmakers should allow two bouncers in an over in one-dayeres to balance the game as he feels that recent changes have made the game batsmen-friendly. He says that in view of the new rules in the fielding restrictions, it is fair to consider the change.

But these changed rules have found support too. "If the super-sub rule had been in vogue in his playing days in the 1970s and 1980s, it would have made the shorter version of cricket more interesting, says former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd.

Moreover, Lloyd feels that even if the super sub is allowed to be named after the toss it will not make much of a difference. "It doesn’t really matter. You can substitute the guy any time you want, so the point is that the situation is good for one, good for all, that kind of thing."

Lloyd doesn’t see any problem in powerplays too. Asked if this would balance the game between the batsman and bowler, Lloyd says: "It just gives the captain something to think about. I don’t find it is a difficult situation."

PHL’s technical guru
G.S. Paul

Innovation is the name of the game for Maurits Hendriks.
— Photo by Pradeep Tewari

HE is one of the most sought-after hockey coaches in the world. His diary is packed with appointments till 2008. Meet Maurits Hendriks, the chief coach of the Spanish team, who is also the technical director of the ongoing Premier Hockey League (PHL) in Chandigarh.

"My objective is clear — to make my team win titles. I first give the players detailed information about various opposition teams and then work out a strategy for tackling each of them", says the Dutchman.

Regarding the PHL, Hendriks states, "It has been designed with a view to encourage professionalism. We want to make it one of the most important leagues on the international circuit. Many innovations are being made, thanks to which the game has become more faster. ESPN, Star Sports and the IHF are doing a great job to make the game more popular in the country. Let’s keep our fingers crossed".

On foreign coaches, he thinks that no coach can produce good results overnight. "It took me a good three years of hard work within an already established structure", he says.

Hendriks took over as the technical director of the Spanish Hockey Federation in 2001 when Spain were not yet a powerhouse in the game. "They were a good side but didn’t display consistency. The challenge was to bring Spain to the top of the world," he recalls.

Being a foreign coach, he thinks it is important to have an understanding of the language, culture and history of the country. Narrating his experiences while taking charge of the Spanish team, he states, "It was tough as I didn’t speak Spanish. To make the players comfortable, it was vital to communicate with them in their mother tongue. So I attended Spanish classes for three months and locked myself in a room to learn about the history of Spanish hockey, their great players, apart from Spanish culture, habits, etc. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I am lucky that my team has never let me down."

Before Hendriks became Spain’s coach in 1998, he was training the Dutch team in association with Roelant Oltmans. Together they took the Netherlands to great heights. Holland won the Olympic qualifiers in 1996, the Atlanta Olympics gold in 1996, the Champions Trophy title in 1996 and the World Cup crown in 1998. He took over from where Oltmans left off, winning the Champions Trophy title in 2000 and the Olympic gold the same year as head coach.

By the time the Spanish team came to Lahore for the Champions Trophy in late 2004 with Hendriks as coach, they had already played in the final of the European Championships in 2003 and were the semifinals at the Athens Olympics. Making the most of Australia’s absence, Spain went on to win their maiden Champions Trophy title.

Spain finished third in the 2005 Champions Trophy in Chennai, proving to be the most attractive and attacking team in the fray after Australia. "It was disappointing but I am happy with the way we fought back. We were almost in the final," remarks Hendriks.

Regarding hockey in India and Pakistan, he thinks there is no dearth of talent in both countries. "I like Gagan Ajit Singh, Arjun Halappa and Harpal Singh, to name a few. However, the infrastructure is not that developed. Cricket overshadows all other sports. Hockey culture has to be complemented with talent and resources.

On being asked if he could be invited by the Indian Hockey Federation to coach the Indian team, he says, "It is not on the cards yet. Moreover, I am engaged with the Spanish team till the 2007-08 season".

His parting shot: "To build a strong team, you need better infrastructure, excellent nutrition, body toning, supportive administration and the ability to make innovations."

IN THE NEWS
High-flier
Ramandeep Singh

Ricky Ponting has been in awesome form since last year.
— Photo by AFP

BY hammering three centuries in the Test series against South Africa, Ricky Ponting has set his sights on becoming not only the highest run-getter but also the leading century scorer in Tests. He is in awesome form and has hit five centuries in his past seven Tests to take his tally to 28. If he continues at the same rate, he may come very close to Sachin’s mark by the end of this year.

Even during the Ashes series, when the other Aussie batsmen were struggling, Ponting stood firm and took the fight to the England team.

Born on December 19, 1974, in Launceston, Tasmania, Ricky Thomas Ponting, made his first-class debut at the age of 17 and was described by Australian Cricket Academy coach Rod Marsh as the best teenage batsman he had ever seen.

He made his Test debut at the age of 20 on December 8, 1995, against Sri Lanka at Perth and fell just four runs short of a century. He has not looked back since and has cemented his place in the middle order with his attacking style of batting — which includes all shots in the book — and fielding.

Ponting is a typical Australian cricketer — aggressive — and plays his game hard and puts relentless pressure on the opposition with both his batting and his attitude. Of late, Ponting has checked his off-field aggression — which landed him in trouble a couple of times — but his on-field behaviour is overly domineering (England coach Duncan Fletcher will vouch for it).

He took over the captaincy of the one-day team from Steve Waugh in 2002 and successfully led the defence of the World Cup in 2003. In the final against India, he scored a swashbuckling 140. Thereafter, he was crowned the Test captain in 2004 when Steve retired.

Last year, Ponting became the first captain since Allan Border in 1985-86 to lose the Ashes. Amidst the ruins, Ponting stood like a rock and scored a match-saving 156 at Old Trafford.

But since the Ashes, Australia are back at their best with Ponting leading from the front. They hammered a World XI side, then mauled the West Indies and crushed a strong South African side 2-0.

Ponting shone brightly against South Africa and his two centuries in the last Test, which Australia won, have permanently sealed his place among the all-time greats